Voting and Elections

Introduction

Elections are a cornerstone of the democratic process, and they are our third of four linkage institutions in this course. In theory, elections allow the American people to make their voices heard. However, many critics argue that the modern electoral system, especially at the national level, effectively disenfranchises many Americans from the outcome of elections. In this unit, we will investigate how the system works, how and why people vote (and don't vote), and the effect of monied interests on the campaign process.